Wednesday, April 30, 2008

We finally got a playmate for Gunnar... His name is Cage & he's a red nosed pit bull. He's about 2 1/2 months old & VERY active (most puppies are I guess, but Gunnar was A LOT more mellow when he was a puppy). Gunnar seems pretty excited to have another dog around & despite the difference in their size, they're really cute together! It's REALLY nice because Cage stays outside all the time with Gunnar, & is really good about it so we don't have to deal with all those "puppy things" (like chewing up furniture/shoes, whining all night long, or marking his territory all over the house)! I tried to get some pictures of him, but I couldn't get him to sit still long enough to get a good one.

Friday, April 11, 2008

My siblings are some of the greatest things in my life!! We have a blended family (Dad had 6 kids, Mom had 5, they got married & had 3) but our family would be incomplete without each one! I just thought I would share a little bit about these special friends of mine :)

1) Chris, 51:"The Young at Heart"- Chris is always willing to tell those embarrassing childhood moments that you wish everyone would forget! Of course, they are always VERY dramatized & the truth is stretched just a little, but we thoroughly enjoy his theatrical performances! He loves to tickle, tease, & torment anyone, any age!! He helps keep our family light hearted & is always making us laugh (at ourselves & each other)!

2) Tony, 48:"The Spittin' Image"- Tony is a constant reminder of our Dad! He looks the most like him (to me, anyway) & he enjoys a lot of the same things Dad enjoyed- guns, motorcycles, racist jokes :), watching boxing/fighting, learning new BIG words, & the list goes on! He has the same cynical sense of humor that we all grew to love & enjoy too :)! He does have a talent that Dad didn't possess... He can imitate Donald Duck quite well for our personal enjoyment!

3) Jeff (right), 47: "The Smart One"- Jeff is a professor at Utah State University & travels around the world giving lectures on biology & microbiology (Google him, I dare ya)! You'd think he'd be cocky, but he's such a sweet guy! When he was a teenager, he was shot through the eye & almost died- Jeff is amazing! To see everything he has accomplished & the great person he is, I can't imagine what our family would be like if we had lost him!!

4) Andrea (left), 43: "The Strong One"- Andrea is GREAT! She's an RN working full time, a mom, & a wife-basically everything I want to be :)! No matter what life throws her way, she just keeps pushing forward with the determination that only Andrea possesses! And through it all, She can always make me laugh- I think we have the same sense of humor- a little crude & cynical! I am especially grateful for Andrea because she saved my life when I was 3... even though sometimes I'm sure she wonders why she didn't just let me drown!!

5) Jared, 45:"The Cool Older Brother"- Jared is really laid back & easy going! He was always willing to take us out on his boat, for a ride in his sweet sports cars, or just have us over for barbecue's. He's the type of guy who you just like to hang around, because you never feel uncomfortable!! Jared is the only Broadbent (from Mom's 1st marriage) that lives in AZ, so it was always nice to have him at family get togethers. I always love to see him because he calls me "Little sis" :)- just a small way he makes me feel special!

6) Tony, 41: "The Good Example"- Tony has always been the brother who has been the example for me. He's such a good person!! He's a great father, husband, & employee- I don't know of anyone who doesn't admire Tony! I LOVED staying with him during the summer when I was a teenager- he just had a special way of letting me know how much he loved me & that meant the world!! He's been a rock during some shaky times for our family!

7) Terri (right), 40: "The Crafty One"- She sews, gardens, cooks, paints, you name it- Terri can do it!! I love seeing her do her thing! She's AWESOME at sewing (she crochets, knits, quilts, cross stitches, & probably more)! She's always had a darling house decorated with the crafts she's made & amazes me with how meticulous her yards/gardens have been! She's the definition of homemaker!!

8) Trudy (left), 39:"The Socialite"- Trudy is awesome because she's a friend to everyone!! I think every sibling has a special connection with Trudy; she has a way of making you feel extra special to her & validates your feelings in a way that only Trudy can. There's a special charm about her too! She's usually the butt of ALL of Chris's jokes, but she just laughs & rolls her eyes at him... she's a great sport! Trudy hosts most of our family parties, & she does a GREAT job of getting us together often!!

9) Rus, (39): "The Musician"- Rus was always the musically talented one! He was in many bands; he sang, played guitar, & was the life of any party!! Rus was hysterical; he could impersonate Ozzy Osborne like no body I know- He won tickets to a Black Sabbath concert once by doing it! He had such a passion for music, life, people- it was contagious! Rus had a heart of gold- a genuinely GOOD person! He touched the heart of every person he met & had TRUE friends (many of whom were his siblings)!

10) Tracy (left), 36: "The Computer Savvy One"- Tracy knows all the little tricks & fun things to do on a computer! She's constantly updating her profiles online to make them look cuter. She's very social & loves making new friends, & she has made a lot over the years! Ironically, as difficult as the computer is for some people to maneuver, she's also a fan of the "simple things" in life- friends, family, a good conversation, ice from QT, & chunky flip flops! 11) Prudence (right), 35:"The Kind One"- Prudence is the one who is more than willing to help someone out, especially family. She is very compassionate & non-judgemental.She's polite & respectful to everyone she comes in contact with, even if they aren't exactly deserving! Prudence is also very forgiving of those who wrong her...She is a great example to me on how I should treat others & how I should react to how others have treated me!

12) Gwen, 31: "The Genuine One"- With Gwen, what you see is what you get & it's all GREAT! She's never fake & genuinely sweet to everybody. She's very outgoing & makes people feel comfortable & important. Gwen is understanding too- a great listener & accepts people for who they are... She LOVES them for who they are, flaws & all! Gwen always has a faithful, positive outlook on life that is contagious (if you've ever heard her laugh, you'll know what I mean)!!

13) Peter, 25: "The Lovable One"- Peter is the youngest boy & as such is easy to love! He's only 15 months older than me, so he's basically the only sibling I grew up with- all the others were pretty much grown when we came along :). All of us sisters think he's SO cute!! Peter is passionate about life & enjoys learning! He loves to do any thing that involves a "board" (skate, snow, wake, you name it- he does it & is good at it)! He is incredibly smart too- he can retain information like camels retain water! With his sweet disposition, what's NOT to love?? We can't think of anything either!!

So there you have it- Now you know a little bit of who these people are & WHY I love SO much!! I'm so thankful for each & every one of them in my life, & for the knowledge that I will have them as siblings forever!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

$6125.00Hmm... I'm not sure how they figure this out, but I'm thinking that's about the same amount as it would take for a funeral (Maybe the funeral is more, I don't know). Moral of the story, save some money; Heck earn some $$ & sell my body when I die!! (I'm really NOT being 100% serious... I check out cadavers at school- it doesn't seem like the glamorous way to go!)